Tanak
Tanaki As of 2371 Name Tanaki (People of Tanak) Created By: Jay P. Hailey Borrowing heavily from William Gibson, Ridley Scott, Mike Pondsmith Short Summary:'''Saurian Cyberpunks in Space! '''Appearance: Starbase 600 game 'The Nature of Members:' The Tanaki are humanoids, they have the same general facial expressions and bodiy kinetics as most humanoid races. They have descended from dinosaur like theropods. Something weird happened to the Proto Tanaki about 100,000 years ago, but Tanaki science had not figured it out, yet. Tanaki Males and females have very human like curves and body language. Tanaki have green skin and, in places, snake or aligator like scales. The Young are lighter colored, the older a Tanaki gets, the darker his skin and scales become. There is variation among the Tanaki starting point. Some Tanaki can be born a pretty dark green, but their fade to darker green is slower. Some Tanaki are born almost white, but their colors darken quickly after puberty. Tanaki in poor health lose luster and tone and become grayish green. Tanaki wear clothes for much the same reasons as humans do - protection, temperature control and status display. They have a nudity Taboo, but it's old and fading. 'Biology:' The Tanaki biochemistry is roughly compatible with Earth. A Tanaki could eat Earth Food, a Human could eat Tanaki food. There are no known cross-over diseases. Tanaki Bear live young and suckle them. Tanaki in the wild could live to 90 years old, but this was very rare. With native medicine a Tanaki could stretch his lifespan to 150 years or more. With Galactic medicine, a Tanaki can expect to live to 175 or maybe more. 'Location:' Tanak A Planet between the Klingons, the Zhodani Consulate, the Vargr and the rest of the Kogari powers 'Population:' On Tanak the population is clawing towards 10 billion people. Elsewhere in Known space the numbers are reaching into the millions, mostly due to Immigration. Languages:' The Main Language is called "Tanak". It was the Language of the first Nation to reach the Information Age technology on Tanak. Several other languages survive, in backwaters and obscure places. The Tanaki Cyber-Web holds information on how to translate most Tanaki languages. 'Government:' Balkanized. Tanaki was a world much like Earth in the mid-to-late 21st century. There were about 100 nation-states on the surface. However, there were also about 100 "Multi-National Corporations" each wielding power that equaled or exceeded that of many governments. The nations and Mega-Corps of Tanak were busy playing monkey barrel, when contact came from the outside. This had been developing since about 2310. Different Kogari Powers made secret contact with Tanaki Corporations and nations in the 2360s. In order to control high technology, and preserve their trade advantage, the Kogari Zarians kept contact secret, They released small dribbles of technology and gained large wealth on Tanak, and then began to take Tanaki as slaves. The Kogari did this by advertising for off world colonists and enslaving them once they were safely away from Tanak. The Tanaki governments and mega-corps fought this as best as they were able, not because they cared about Tanaki taken as slaves - Tanak was badly over crowded anyway. But the lack of control bothered them severely. So there was a sort of business/hostile Espionage relationship between the Tanaki and the Kogai powers. Culture: 'Economy:' The Economy of Tanak was a old-fashioned production/exchange/monetary economy leveraged to insane levels. The Ferengi were positively impressed. However, the fundamentals of the economy were not sound Tanak was suffering a huge and growing gap between the wealthy and the poor. Most of the Tanaki population was sliding back into poverty and deprivation in the shadows of neon skyscrapers. The rampaging industrialization and post-industrial exploitation of resources, not to mention vast over-population threw Tanaks ecology out of balance. And underlying theme to life on Tanak was that every knew the end was coming, but no one could agree on what to do about it. This affected the psychology of the Tanaki badly. 'Military:' The Militaries of Tanak were just as Balkanized and factionalized as the nations and mega-corps. forces ranged from guys in pick up trucks with automatic rifles to highly trained, professional and well equipped mercenary commando forces. Large scale war had largely disappeared, due to the enormous cost. but nations, megacorps and native tribes would violently raid each other on an almost continious basis. This makes veteran Tanaki mercenaries dangerous indeed, they have *lots* of experience. 'History:' The Tanaki were victims of their own success. the preindustrial history of the Tanaki people looks much like anyone else's. Their Industrial revolution swept their world hard. and then the post industrial information age happened Just as hard. The success at industrial production meant that Tanaki cultures and nations could support ever-growing populations. The Tanaki suffered a Demographic Bomb of population growth. By the 2360s it was plain that there were too many Tanaki and things were Not going to end well. This mixed with the lopsided allocation of wealth to create a serious cultural mental problem. Then some Tanaki were contacted by aliens. Far from being saviors, the Aliens acted like Agents of the same of Mega-Corps and engaged in small contacts designed to leverage their own advantages. In the top Echelons of Tanaki Society, this nurtured a bitter cynicism about the nature of life and sentience. As of 2371 the Average Tanaki lived a life of quiet desperation. Unemployment was high. Jobs that were available were leveraged for long hours and poor pay. The Tanaki people were distracted by legalized drugs, and endless video spectacles of sex and violence. Attempts by intrepid truth tellers occasionally motivated protests and civil actions. But it was never enough. The weather was messed up and everyone knew Tanak was badly over crowded. Attempts to preserve endangered species and eco-systems were reported asd under-manned and under-funded. The rich and the well-connected hid in gated communities or archologies. It was a life most Tanaki knew they'd never see. Tanaki became experts at producing entertainment products to distract people from their lot in what seemed like the twilight of Tanak itself. In 2361 Gzorko-Corp announced it had discovered faster than light drives and began recruiting colonists for off-world colonies. Several other Mega-Corps and nations followed suit. There was a rush. the Colonies were screening people for the best, the brightest and the healthiest. years of struggling in a dying bio-sphere excluded most Tanaki. But many passed the screening and shipped out. By 2364 it was apparent that none of the Colonists were reporting back. No letters, no data, no nothing. Suspicion rose. Corporate PR attempts showing faked colonists on faked colony worlds failed to convince anyone. Still the desperate and the hopeless applied. and the healthy ones were taken until about 2367 when most activity was suspended. Only a few colonists were taken, the best of the best among the applicants. It has become a vaguely open secret that there are powers in Space who are using Tanak and the Tanaki people for their own ends. Some Tanaki have come back with wild stories. Tanaki mercenaries and mercenary companies have been hired, traveled off world and returned with deadly energy weapons. The rest of Tanak slid back into a sort of hopeless nihilism and shuffled through their days. 'Relations:' As of 2371 *''Anzon'' - Anzon is mainly a competitor for mercenaries. *''Miatra'' - Working through The Nation of Ranza, they recruit people to the Ranza National Space Program, which has "developed" and released some advanced technology. Only the Highest levels of the Nation of Ranza and the Ranza Space Program know how lopsided and one sided the Contact is. There are a lot of disappearances as disgruntled Ranza patriots attempt to blowe things open. *''Mizert'' - Working through Gzorko-Corp, Mizert runs one of the most trouble free interfaces. This is because Gzorko-Corp was self-filtering for ambitious sociopaths before contact. The CEO and COO would both sell their grandmothers for advantage. *''Kalador'' - Much the same as above. *''Realm of Ko'ot'' - being a mixed realm of Bykaler and Zarians, the Realm of Ko'ot struggled with notions of expansion and how to treat Non-Zarian life forms, and so opted out of the "rape the Tanaki" game. *''Haven'' - The Bykaler of Haven considered themselves the Master race and so saw no need to take Tanaki slaves. *''Mining Guild of Porniqt'' - these were a major customer for Tanaki slaves. So much so that a few years into the process the majority of the Porniqt Asteroid belts population was Tanaki. *''Pogue'' - Didn't care one way other the other. There was no profit in selling Tanak the technology to defend itself from the rest of the powers. Pogue acquired some Tanaki slaves by raiding the Kogari slave shipments, but they didn't deliberately set out to exploit this market. Free Tanak escapees were greeting about the same as everyone else. *''Akbara'' - Akbara acquired a small number of Tanaki slaves through nefarious means. The Caliph of the One True Way announced that Tanaki souls weren't the same as Zarian souls and so were not eligible for The One True Way. But when harmless could be dealt with or safely ignored. *''B-UFP'' - the B-UFP put agents on Tanak and was considering arming them to provide a thorn, a counter weight to the other Kogari powers. This concept was not followed through on. *''Klingon Empire'' - No contact *''Zhodani Consulate'' - No Contact *''Vargr'' - No contact - Kogari pickets drive Vargr explorers and traders away from Tanak. *''Malovids'' - No contact. *''Ix!Tor'' - No contact. *''Nar'' - No contact *''Mongo:'' The Kogari powers were colonizing 5 earthlike worlds to their east (Unknowingly towards the Nar) This is where the Tanaki "Colonists" were winding up, on plantations, in mines and in other unpleasant places, as servants to the Zarians. In 2368 a Zarian Named Ming (A political Prisoner and transportee) organized a successful rebellion. Zarian and Tanaki prisoners and slaves rose up, overthrew the Kogari Overlords and declared their independence. The Kogari powers were taken aback by this. Fighting to retake the colonies and put down the rebellion was an expensive failure. This is why the market for Tanaki "Colonists" collapsed. Tanaki citizens of Mongo (The name for the Liberated worlds) wanted to attack to Liberate Tanak, too, but Tanak was across the entire Kogari Region. Ming and his Legions could not attack through that and expect to succeed in liberating Tanak. Because of the Liberation of Mongo, messages began to get through and more information began to filter through to the Tanaki population, despite aggressive censoring by the Tanaki Powers that Be. 'Advantages:' Numbers. There are Astounding numbers of Tanaki on Tanak. this means that the edges of probability are pushed way out. If 1 in a billion Tanaki are smarter than Einstein or Surak then there are Ten such people on Tanak. The Tanak are generically as hardy and as smart as humanity, so they can be surprisingly robust, inventive and clever. 'Weaknesses:' The world of Tanak is failing to support them. 'Special:' Tanak Medical technology is strange. Cybernetics are common. Rumors exist that there are replicants running around Tanaki society. But most Tanaki are too poor for anything but the basics of medical care. 'Campaign Role:' Star Trek Characters get to visit Cyberpunk 2405 Update The UFP absorbed and reformed the B-UFP. The Ane Confederation made a direct economic attack on the Mining Guild of Porniqt and shut it down in a matter of weeks. Mongo Joined the United Federation of Planets. Once stabilized, Mongo and B-UFP ships moved into orbit around Tanak and pushed the Kogari powers out. At least in terms of making Secret contact. The Federation set up a consulate on Tanak and began openly telling the truth as it was known. The other Kogari Powers followed suit. Mongo began regular shipping runs to Tanak. Then the Federation attempted a large project. Upgrading the Tanaki economy to a Federation Style Enemy Economy. The reasons were that a Federation Style Economy could spread modern medicine, food, education and support to the Billions of Tanaki who couldn't afford these services under the old Tanaki economic model. And, Federation technology has a much less devastating impact on Ecologies than the Tanaki native systems. With these two problems addressed, the Tanaki and the Federation could address halting the damage to the Tanaki eco-sphere and prevent the death of the whole world (And most of the people on it) A Federation Archology in Razgoll City is growing by leaps and bounds - Phase 1 of the plan is progressing as fast as the Tanaki can grab it. Tanaki is now a Federation Protectorate. Kogari powers have each starting their own arcologies and economic up-grade projects, but without the resources and success that that the Mongo-Led UFP is enjoying. 2407 update Membership in "Federation, Inc" is growing as fast as Tanaki can grab it and the transition to Energy Economy is rapidly under way Fort Enterprise is churning out Starfleet crew by the hundreds each training cycle. Tanak is trying to single handedly solve the Far Sector's shortage of manpower. Federation, Inc Category:Kogari Space Category:Planets Category:Races Category:ST-OM Category:Epiphany Trek